skze

I couldnt find any threads with specific tips for the ap computer science test so I thought I should make one. I'm thinking we can get a list of tips going. I have only begun studying now so I do not really have any tips, but I will contribute later.

Lugubrious

Do you know if anyone has last year's test or an audit of some sort?

skze

No sorry, I dont.

intellec7

On the FRQ, make nice but short variable names to save time writing. The graders really shouldn't care whether you use i, or thisCurrentTreeNode, but perhaps a compromise like currNode is short and descriptive.

If you find yourself writing code that is more than like 15 lines long, then you're probably going down a wrong path.

Whenever you get stuck reference the Java documentation provided, especially for those collections and the Case Study.

err I kind of hate this exam even though my passions lie in the area of computer technology.

Also, the last test that was released is 2004, which if anyone has an AB version of, would be so great.

skze

I have a few things I'm curious about and a couple tips I have picked up so far.

Does anyone have the book called "Multiple Choice and Free Response Questions in Preparation for the AP Computer Science Examination"? Some girl at school bought them (they are sold in packs) and was selling them to other kids. I bought one. The book itself has quite a few errors so I am now a bit nervous with my preparation. I am going to go pick up the Barron's Prep book for AP comp sci right now. How accurate is this book in regards to MC and FR?

As for the tips:
1. This might seem obvious but definitely write pseudo code before attempting to write the actual code. Makes the actual programming go much smoother.

Thought I had more but I guess I forgot them.

snipez90

Mmm, that book sounds shady.

skze, pseudo code might take up too much time. If you get a complex recursion problem, pseudo code might be a good idea. But in general, it's probably best to spend 5-10 minutes reading and understanding the question. Assuming some programming competence, the solution is usually not hard to come up with if you understand what's being asked of you.

A few tips:
1. On the free response, the return type of the method you are writing (if there is one) can often lead you to the solution, so always keep it in mind.
2. If you see a Map question on the free response, keep in mind you cannot iterate a Map (but you often need to access each mapped value), but rather a set that contains the keys of the map.
3. Test small cases, they often lead to generalizations
4. It's always a good idea to set an inference variable to an object retrieved during a loop if you need to modify it.

skze

Hmmm snipez, I'm not sure about the AB test but as for the A test, I had plenty of time left over. Then again, I wasnt taking it under the strictest of conditions.